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DE WITT O. SMILEY, Jr. & T. A. SHEA.

PNEUMATIC DOOR CHECK.

No. 416,758. Patented 116 10, 1889'.

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(No Model.) 4 2 Sheets$heet 2. DE WITT C. SMILEY, J1". & T. A. SHEA.

PNEUMATIC DOOR CHECK.

No. 416,758. Patented Deo. 10, 1889.

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DE WITT G. SMILEY, JR., AND THOMAS A. SHEA, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNORS OF ONE-THIRD TO GEORGE RABENSTEIN, OF SAME PLACE.

PNEUMATIC DOOR-CHECK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 416,758, dated December 10, 1889.

Application filed February 28, 1889- Serial No. 301,540. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, DE WITT G. SMILEY, 31:, and THOMAS A. SHEA, citizens of the United States, residing at Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pneumatic Door Springs and Checks; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in a combined door spring and check; and it consists in the arrangement of a cylinder, a spring-actuated piston, a rubber air-bulb or air-chamber, and an automatically opening and closing valve, all of said parts combined in such a manner that .the air in the chamber is forced through the valve during the backward stroke of the piston when the door is being closed, thereby preventing the door from slamming.

Our invention is illustrated in the two sheets of drawings herewith accompanying,-

in which similar. letters of reference are used to indicate corresponding parts in each of the several views.

In said drawings, Figure 1 represents a front elevation of our device attached to a door by means of a bracket and a standard to which the cylinder is pivotally secured,

said view also illustrating the manner of at tachi'ng the piston-rod to the door-jarnb by means of a second standard. Fig. 2 is an enlarged horizontal section of our improved door spring and check, showing the arrangement of the parts within the cylinder when the door is closed. Figs. 3 and 4 are side elevations of part of the cylinder shown in Fig. 2, looking in the directions of arrows 0c and y, respectively. Fig. 5 is an enlarged side elevation of the device, illustrating the manner of attaching the same to the door and the door-jamb more clearly, the door being represented in its closed position. Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 2, showing the arrangement of the parts, especially that of the piston and the rubber air-chamber, when the door is open. Fig. 7 is a top view of the rubber bulb. Fig. 8 represents a modifiedform of construction and arrangement of the parts in the cylinder.

- In the drawings, A represents the door frame or jamb, and B the door.

0 is a cylinder secured to the door by means of a bracket 0, which is pivotally arranged within a standard on which the cylinder is adapted to rotate in a horizontal plane when the door is opened or closed. At one end of the cylinder 0 is a cap a, said cylinder and the cap being provided with lugs 0 adapted to receive bolts 0 by means of which the cap is firmly secured to the cylinder. Within the cylinder is arranged a piston-rod cl, provided at one end thereof with a piston d, preferably hemispherical in form, said rod passing at the other end through an adjustable head e,provided with pins e e on opposite sides thereof, which pass and extend into grooves c and fit into the offsets o in the cylinder,

as indicated in Fig. 2. The piston-rod d is pivoted within a standard f, which is screwed to the door-jamb, as illustrated.

Around the rod d is arranged a spiral spring 9 between the piston-head and the adjustable head or platec. When the parts in the cylinder are in position, the spiral spring g, arranged between the head 6 and the piston d, forces the latter against a rubber bulb h, alsohemispherical in form, which is provided with a flange or rib it around the same, by means of which the bulb is secured between the cylinder and the cap, and which flange also acts as a packing-ring, thereby preventing any escape of air from the airchamber.

The rubber bulb h is provided in the top thereof with an opening 7L2, through which passes a teat d on the piston, which opens a check-valve arranged in the top of the cap 0, when the teat is forced against the valve-rod e by the pressure from the spring arranged around the pistonrod, as illustrated in Fig. 2.

The operation of the piston and the valve is as follows: When the spring 9 is placed in position within the cylinder and the latter has been secured to the door and the jamb, the cylinder is in a horizontal position and at right angles to the door, as indicated in Figs. 2 and 5, and the piston-rod is secured to the door-jamb, as described. As already stated, when in this position the spiral spring within the cylinder is slightly compressed, and thereby forces the piston up against the rubber bulb, which is thereby also compressed until all the air within the chamber formed by the walls of the rubber bulb and the cap attached to the cylinder has been driven out through the check-valve in the top of the cap. The spring is held in position within the cylinder by the plate or head c, which is secured to the walls of the cylinder in the grooves therein by means of the pins e. hen the door has been opened, the cylinder, and with it the head e, passes forward, while the piston-rod d, which is secured to the door-jamb, remains in the same position 5 but during this operation the spring g is compressed and the pressure is removed from the top of the rubber bulb and also from the valve-rod, which allows the air to pass within the cap and the rubber bulb, which becomes inflated with the air and assumes the form shown in Fig. 6. When the teat d is withdrawn from engagem out with the end 0 of the valve-rod a a spring 0 around the same forces the valve rod forward, and with it a nut or disk 0 thereby opening the valve and allowing the air to pass through the aii passages c into the air-chamber.

It will readily be seen that when the door is opened still farther than is shown in Fig. 5

of the drawings the spring g is compressed to a much greater extent, and when the door is allowed to close the compressed spring 9 causes the same to close rapidly until the vpiston comes in contact with the rubber bulb, when the movement of the closing door is suddenly checked, the piston slowly forcing the air from the air-chamber by the compression of the rubber bulb, and finally closing the valve in the cap when the teat d has engaged with the valve-rod, forcing the same forward and closing the valve.

The valve may be provided with a packingring e to firmly hold the valve-rod in position. It will readily be understood that when the air has been forced from the rubber bulb the which is closed at both ends, having a projecting flange at the one end thereof, into which is fitted the rubber bulb, as shown in Fig. 8. In this form of construction the piston-rod (1 passes through the rubber bulb and has fitted thereon a cap d which serves to compress the bulb when in position on the V door.

In order to allow the air to escape from the bulb, the end wall of the cylinder is provided with air-holes o through which the air escapes from the bulb when compressed; or the piston-rod may be provided with a slot in the surface, which answers the same purpose. In the other end of the cylinder is arranged an adj usting-screw, by means of which the tension of the spring may be regulated, as will be understood.

Instead of using a check-valve, as shown in the drawings, we may employ an ordinary petcock to regulate the flow of air through the same from the air-chamber.

In lieu of using a rubber bulb which is hemispherical in form, a hollow sphere may be used, which answers the same purpose, said sphere being provided with a flange, by means of which the same may be secured between the cylinder and the cap.

Having thus described our-invention, what we claim is 1. In a combined door spring and check, the combination of a cylinder having a bracket thereon, a standard attached to the door, a piston and a spring-actuated rod connected therewith, a standard to which the pistonrod is pivotally secured, a hemispherical rubber bulb, a hollow cap attached to the cylinder, forming an air-chamber with said rubber bulb, and a valve in said air-chamber, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In a door spring and check, the combination of a cylinder having abracket thereon, a standard attached to the door, a piston and a spring-actuated rod connected therewith, a standard on the door-jamb, to which said piston-rod is pivotally secured, an adjustable plate or head on said rod, and means for securing said plate within the cylinder, a perforated hemispherical rubber bulb, a hollow cap secured to the cylinder, forming an airchamber with said rubber bulb, said rubber bulb having a flange or rib around the same arranged between the cylinder end and the cap to serve as an air-tight packing for the air-chamber, and a check-valve in the said chamber, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

' 3. In a pneumatic door spring and check, in combination, a cylinder with both ends open, a piston-rod and a hemispherical pis ton therein, an adjustable head in one end of the cylinder, through which said pistonrod passes, said head having means thereon for securing the same within the cylinder, a cap to close up the other end of the cylinder,

and a rubber bulb having a flange thereon;

secured by said cap to the cylinder, a projecting teat on the piston extending into and passing through a perforation in the top of the rubber bulb, and a valve provided with a spring-actuated valve-rod,with which saidteat on the piston engages to close thevalve when the piston compresses the rubber bulb, for the purposes set forth.

4. I11 a pneumatic door springand check, in combination, a cylinder, a piston and piston-rod therein, and an adjustable head in one end of the cylinder, through which said piston-rod passes and extends, said head being provided with pins or projections thereon adapted to extend into grooves and offsets arranged in the sides of the cylinder for securing and adjusting said head Within the cylinder, an air-chamber consisting of a perforated flexible bulb and a cap arranged on the opposite end of the cylinder, and means in said chamber to permit the escape of air therefrom when the door is opened, the piston-rod in said cylinder being adapted to extend into and pass through said air-chamber to operate the valve therein, for the purposes set forth.

5. The combination, with a door and doorjamb, of a cylinder, a bracket thereon, and a standard attached to the door, to which said bracket is pivotally secured, a piston and piston-rod within the cylinder, a standard on the door-jamb, to which said piston-rod is pivotally attached, an adjustable head adapted to slide within said oylinderat the open end thereof on said piston-rod and provided with pins or projections thereon adapted to extend into grooves and oifsets in the cylinder for securing and adjusting said head Within the cylinder, a cap and a rubber bulb at the other end of the cylinder arranged to form an airchamber, and means in said chamber to regulate the fiow of air into said chamber, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

6. The combination of a spring-actuated piston and pivoted cylinder with an adjustable head provided with pins 6 thereon, adapted to extend into groove and fit into ofisets 0 for securing and adjusting the same within the cylinder, for the purposes set forth.

In testimony that we claim the invention set forth above we have hereunto 'set our hands this th day of February, 1889.

DE WITT C. SMILEY, JR. THOMAS A. SHEA.

Witnesses:

FREDK. C. FRAENTZEL, GEORGE RABENSTEIN. 

